The Rocket’s defense held up and the Laval squad defeated the Cleveland Monsters 5-2 on Saturday afternoon at Place Bell.
It was an important weekend for the Montreal Canadiens’ farm club in the race for the North section series and they took the opportunity to sweep the honors of the two duels against the team that sits in first place .
The Rocket (25-24-8) also extended its streak of games with at least one point to three (2-0-1) and temporarily came within two points of the Rochester Americans for fifth and final place. giving access to the series in the section. The Americans face the Syracuse Crunch later in the evening.
Sean Farrell broke the deadlock early in the second period and Logan Mailloux scored the goal that sealed the outcome of the match, after the Laval defense had shown calm for about 35 minutes in front of goalkeeper Kasimir Kaskisuo.
Brandon Gignac had another spectacular performance for the Rocket, collecting a goal and three assists. Xavier Simoneau and Lias Andersson both had a goal and an assist.
After two more difficult starts in February, Kaskisuo recovered well by stopping 28 shots to sign a first victory since February 10.
The Rocket’s new forward, Jacob Perreault, played his first game with the team. He was used on the third line, along with Mitchell Stephens and Jared Davidson.
Brendan Gaunce and Hunter McKown lit the red light for the Monsters (33-18-6). Jet Greaves allowed four goals on 33 shots.
The Rocket will return to action Wednesday night, hosting the Bridgeport Islanders.
Complete performance
As they had done the day before, Laval opened the scoring after about six minutes of play, on special teams. But this time, shorthanded.
Defenseman David Jiricek tried to slip the puck behind him, but Gignac intercepted it and beat Jake Christiansen before beating Greaves between the pads.
The Monsters, however, responded by scoring two rather lucky goals. First, Gaunce’s quick throw hit Olivier Galipeau’s skate before crossing the red line. Then, while stationed in the right circle, McKown fired a butterfly shot that surprised Kaskisuo.
The Rocket continued to work and tied the game during the last minute of the period, during a power play. Mailloux dove to prevent a clearance and handed the puck to Andersson. The Swede was patient and passed to Gignac, who set the table for Simoneau’s ninth goal of the season.
Upon returning from the locker room, the home team only needed 29 seconds to regain the lead. Quickly, Gignac attempted a feint and the disc ended up on the blade of Farrell’s stick. His lively shot deceived Greaves’ vigilance on the glove side.
The Rocket had the opportunity to extend their lead, when they gained a four-minute power play, but despite some good attempts near the net, the score remained unchanged.
The Monsters tried to tie the game in the third period, but Mailloux completed a nice two-way exchange with Emil Heineman to deal a heavy blow to the visitors. Andersson drove the last nail into an empty net.